Thread: Silmaril Tattoo

Cassandria has made 14 posts and is an Elf from Rivendell and is not online.
Posted Wednesday 28th August 2013 (12:05am)

I have posted about this to get a discussion going about translation, but now that I have that figured out, I just wanted to pick people's brains in general about planning my Silmaril tattoos. I still have not gotten around to getting one, I chose to forgo that idea in favor of a Ring of Barahir tattoo that took about 7 hours (which I wish I could share a photo of on here). That includes part of Strider's Riddle in Quenya.
Anyways, while I was at work yesterday I had a complete epiphany. At first I was contemplating some kind of piece with the 2 trees of valinor and working the Silmarils in there somewhere. Then it hit me: I can take the 3 Silmarils and hide them in various tattoos on my body, kind of a play on the fact that they were lost. I think I wanted to start jumping for joy I love the idea so much. (cheesy Tolkien fan pick up line: Want to help me find my Silmarils?) See it's sad that most people in the world wouldn't understand my joke! (PS this site is so infrequently active, where are all my Tolkien fans I'm supposed to be making friends with! :-P)
So I have gotten suggestions to incorporate earth fire and water in with each stone, I'm having trouble thinking of how though (for Earth I was thinking about wrapping leaves of lorien around one). The first tattoo I want to get is on the shoulder/upper arm depicting one of the trees with a Silmaril, and incorporating the water element. Also it would include some passages from the Silmarillion I had translated.
Anyone else have any ideas? I would love some Tolkien elitists to tell me exactly what would be most accurate.
Is anyone else going to Middle Earth Day at the Armory Museum in Massachusetts? Throwing that out there for New England people!

Balrogs R Us has made 551 posts and is an Uruk-Hai from Isengard and is not online.
Posted Wednesday 28th August 2013 (11:44pm)

Well the tree could technically count for earth. For fire you could maybe just use a flame with the silmaril in the middle (would look cool as part of a larger tattoo,in a sleeve or something). Water is tough though! The best I can think of right now is a rain drop. If you could think of a way to make a wave that would fit, since waves have been a huge part throughout the history of ME. Or you could think of a completely different design, a trident or something (no real relation to Tolkien), but then put the silmaril inside of that.

Or you could simply make the silmarils different colors and put them wherever you want. Inside another tattoo or any random place or whatever. Like a radiant blue for water, maybe with light blue light streams coming off of it and the bottom ones turn into little rain drops or something.

If you wanted to scrap the random place idea you could do something like Morgoth's crown and have the 3 silmaril's in there. That might be pretty cool! Assuming you don't mind having the Dark Lord's most powerful symbol on your body....

Cassandria has made 14 posts and is an Elf from Rivendell and is not online.
Posted Thursday 29th August 2013 (11:31am)

Different colors why didn't I think of that. I love you Balrogs you never disappoint me.I haven't ever seen a tattoo of a waterfall, could be interesting! I really love the idea of incorporating the trees though. I have to really think about it because I want it on my shoulder which means it's very visible and sometimes not easily covered. I am going to wait until the fall anyways to do anything because there still could be some swimming opportunities yet this year! Fall is my absolute favorite though!

Balrogs R Us has made 551 posts and is an Uruk-Hai from Isengard and is not online.
Posted Saturday 31st August 2013 (11:09pm)

Maybe you could have the silmarils scattered inside of the tree. Like you'll have the tree, and maybe a green jewel in the trunk, a blue one in one corner and a red one closer to the center. Something along those lines. Honestly just throwing random ideas that came to me out there though....

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